Griever
by Oxymoron
Summary: When I was asked to write a half-page story for my 8th Grade English Class about my dream vacation, this long story popped into mind. This was my dream vacation, and now I'm sharing it with you!


I was so psyched when I found out that I'd won a dream Spring Break Vacation. They had shipped me somewhere in New York, where I stayed at a hotel in the middle of the city. It was peaceful, and I was sleepy. I set my bags down beside the bed which looked really inviting and fell asleep.  
  
The sea breeze awoke me. Sea breeze? Wait a minute..wasn't I just in New York City? I opened my eyes, and looked to the side, to see an open balcony overlooking a sea. I sat up, and looked around. I saw what looked like a save point on my favorite video game, Final Fantasy 8, spinning on the ground near a table. I blinked, and rubbed my eyes, but it still didn't disappear.  
Confused, I stumbled down the stairs to the lobby. The bright blue colors we so serene. I saw a woman at a desk, working on something. I spun around quickly, looking around. I was still very confused. I felt something heavy in my pocket, and reached in. I pulled out a small coin, which resembled a Gil, the kind of money that they use in Final Fantasy games.   
I ran outside, and looked around, to find myself near a harbor, the hotel's owner was standing outside, looking around. It was then that I realized...I was in the midst of a Final Fantasy game!   
Bewildered, I sank to the ground, and held my head. Where was I? How did I get here? And why does this place look like a place in Final Fantasy 8? Looking up, the breeze off the sea pushed my hair back off my face, and I could feel the sticky sweat which was drenching my body.  
Finally a bit calm, I stood, and walked around. I reached what looked like the center of a town. I nodded. I knew exactly where I was. I was in the hometown of one of my favorite Final Fantasy Characters. I was in the town of Balamb.   
I sat on a bench beside a store, and held my head. Two of my questions were answered, but what about the rest? I looked up to see a door to a house. Could that be...? If I was correct, that door led to the home of the Dinchts.   
Standing, I made my way to the door, and opened it, taking about 6 steps down into what looked like a main lobby area. I looked to my right to spy a kitchen. Looking deeper in, I saw someone very familiar. That was Ma Dincht! Zell's mother from the game!  
"Ma!" and that call from upstairs. An unfamiliar voice, of course, as Final Fantasy games generally have no voices. I waited, hearing the soft pat pat down the stair case, which I knew led up to Zell's room. Then I saw a pair of feet. They were covered in nice sneakers. I spied closer. And the person took a few more steps down. I fainted..I just saw Zell Dincht!  
  
"Whew. Wake up. Hey..Yo!" I blinked, hearing that voice again. I blinked and sat up, looking behind me to see a bent over Zell. Then I blushed and unidentifiable shade of red. Zell'd been holding me?! I jumped to my feet and brushed off my clothing.  
"You okay?" he said, standing. I nodded very quickly.  
"Yo Ma! We got a guest! But she just fainted!" he called to the other room. I studied him closely, and saw exactly what was in the game. A fairly tall teenager, with blue eyes and blond spiked hair. I spied around the side, and saw a large black tattoo with a weird shape. I felt like hugging him. That was Zell! Oh my God!!  
I started jumping up and down, feeling like a 12 year old Teeny Bopper at a Backstreet Boy concert. I let out a flow of shrieks, and he turned back to me. I settled down, and shuffled my boots on the foot.  
"Um..are you related to Selphie?" "Huh?!" Then I thought about it. He meant Selphie Tilmitt, his comrade, and the most hyper person in the game. I shook my head. I didn't resemble Selphie, did I?  
"So why are you here? Most teenagers don't come here unless they're in Garden." Garden? Oh, he meant Balamb Garden. Did I attend Balamb Garden? Heh. I didn't know. I just nodded.  
"Does that mean you're going to Garden?" I nodded again. I guess, since I was here, here in my dream world, that I would go all the places I dreamed about. "Cool," he said, and walked over to a spot in the room, grabbing his coat. "Wanna walk with me?" I nodded excitedly. He then gave a small huff of a laugh. "You don't talk much, do you?" I shook my head. Did I ever occur to him that I was too choked up to speak?  
"Yo Ma, me and the girl are walkin' to Garden. See ya later!" He stepped out of the house, and I followed, closing the door. He headed out of the town, and I ran to catch up to him. Then he started questioning me. "First time in Balamb?" I shook my head. "No." He nodded. "You must've came here while I was on a mission. I would've remembered you."  
I nodded. "Zell, there's a lot about me you don't know." He stopped walking, and I stopped, and turned to him. He shook his head, his hands in his pocket. "How'd you know my name?"   
I gave a secretive smile. "That's my little secret." He looked at me, concerned. "You sure this is your first time here?" I nodded again. "Yep."  
He sighed, and started walking to garden again. Now he was the silent one. The road had lots of twists and turns, and was actually getting kind of tired. But then I saw the most beautiful thing I'd ever seen in my life. The elusive Balamb Garden. I stood in awe, as Zell continued to walk. The gold and blue colors overwhelmed me. I stood there, my jaw dropped, gawking.   
I looked ahead of me to see Zell was already inside, and ran after to catch up to him. Making my way inside, I bumped into someone, and fell down. Holding my head (Man, I'd been falling a lot!) I looked up. I blinked. And then once more. The 17 year old before me sighed. She had one ruby/crimson red eye, the other covered with an eye patch and some silver hair. She was pale, an albino. She wore a blue uniform-like tunic and navy blue pants, which had been stuffed not so neatly into her knee high boots. Aha, so this is what Fujin Nyuushuu, one of the best female villains, not to mention my favorite, looked like in person.  
She looked down at me now with such frustration. I stood, and dusted myself off. She still stared at me. I smirked, and nodded to her, telling her I was okay. Fujin, in the game, was always very quiet. I ran past her into the Garden. I was so excited.   
I saw Zell as soon as I ran in. He was standing at the Directory.  
Let me tell you a bit a bout Balamb Garden. It was started when Cid and Edea Kramer, a married couple, decided to train SeeDs, A mercenary force designed to assassinate and murder sorceresses, met a Shumi, NORG, and invested in his money to fix it up. Before, it had been a shelter. Now students came from everywhere, hoping someday that their training would excel enough to where they could take the SeeD Field exam, and become a SeeD, to be dispatched all over the world on Missions. Garden had been through a lot of trouble, after the discovery that it could fly, and also when Squall Leonhart killed NORG, the Garden Master. Headmaster Cid Kramer had appointed Squall as the Garden's leader. But, now everything was peaceful, and there were only small missions on which SeeDs would fulfill.   
Which brings us to where I was now. Looking ahead at the directory, I saw other SeeDs. Xu, now a SeeD leader, was giving information to Squall Leonhart, the only Gunblade Specialist in SeeD, Quistis Trepe, a former instructor at the age of 18, Selphie Tilmitt, a happy go lucky crazy girl with Nunchaku, and my friend, Zell.   
I approached the directory slowly, as if not to disturb the rambling Xu. Selphie rocked back and forth on her heels, and Squall looked deep in thought, his hands resting on his hips. Zell threw punches at the air, looking almost as if he were swatting flies, and Quistis gave a small smile as Xu finished the instructions.  
"We will dispatch in Timber, where we will once again help the 'Forest Owls' faction. Squall, take Rinoa with you. Zone and Watts will be waiting. Time to make your decision on a party. Headmaster will be down soon to wish you luck." Xu took off around the directory, and headed towards the library.  
Squall looked at his comrades and sighed. "Quistis, Zell. You two come with me. Selphie, go get Rinoa, and stay with her. Make sure she's okay, allright?" Selphie nodded, and ran up the stairs behind the directory to go to the 2nd floor to retrieve Rinoa.  
Zell looked at Squall. "You don't mind if we have a tag along, do ya?" Squall looked confused, and Zell pointed in my direction. "She's new to garden, but I think she'd wanna come. Is that allright?"  
"Does she have a weapon? I'm not baby sitting anyone," Squall sounded very serious, as he always did. You see, Squall was very antisocial, and he didn't really like to voice his feelings about a lot of things.  
"No, but she can have some of my old gloves," Zell answered, reaching into his pocket. He pulled out some black gloves, and tossed them my way.  
I caught them up in the air, and slid them on my hands. An almost perfect fit. "Can I really go with ya'll?"   
"Sure," Zell replied. "It'd be fun, don'tcha think?"  
I jumped up, punching the air twice. "Of course it would be!" I exclaimed as I did so. Just then, the elevator doors, slid apart, and Headmaster Cid walked out.   
A man in about his forties, he was plump, quite jolly looking, but as energetic as anything you'd ever seen. "Cid is such a nice man," this was always said about him, and it was true. Cid was a nice man.   
He approached us now, looking a bit concerned, but still a bit happy. He gave a short smile stopping, and put his hands behind his back. "My trusted SeeDs. The only ones I can count on. Take care. Squall, its in your hands now. Zell, my boy, take good care of this new one," he pointed to me. I almost blushed. "Quistis Trepe, you know what will happen if you screw up," he said smirking.  
Quistis gave a small, nod, giving a chuckle at his remark. "Now where is Ms. Tilmitt? And Ms. Heartilly?" Just then, Selphie and Rinoa came running down the stairs, Irvine Kinneas, a lone sharp shooter, also, Selphie's boyfriend, running after them. Irvine was 6'0'' tall, and mighty handsome. He had crystal green eyes, and reddish brown hair, the color that makes you want to melt. He wore a blue shirt, low cut, exposing chest, and a huge medallion. He wore a brown leather coat, fur rimmed, and black jeans, covered by leather khaki chaps. For the finish, he wore black boots. But for the beginning...a black cowboy hat.   
When they finally arrived at the Directory, Selphie jumped up and down with chants of "We're here!" Cid nodded to them all, and wished them luck. Soon, we were all out the door, on our way to the town of Balamb. From there, we would take an underwater train to Timber, where we would once again meet the faction of the 'Forest Owls'.  
  
Finally on the train, we all stood around the door area. Squall pulled out the ticket, and two doors slid open. Selphie ran through them, and gazed out a window, singing her train song. Irvine followed right after. I stood nearest a window in the small room that the rest of us gathered. Zell stood near me. Squall stood where he was. Quistis and Rinoa stood on the opposite wall.  
"I wonder what Zone and Watts want. Its not really like them to call upon the aid of SeeD. Especially now that the Sorceress is gone. Galbadia left Timber. Its Free. What do they need us for?"  
Quistis snorted. "Zone and Watts? Not need our help? Thats almost as if you're saying where ever there is a Selphie there is not an Irvine. Of course they need our help. Watts doesn't fight, and Zone is a wimp."  
Rinoa sighed. "Well, I guess you're right, but still. What if there are more problems now, in Timber? What if I have to stay back?"  
"Don't worry, Rinoa," Squall said quietly. "We'll fix the problem. Until then, just rest. We need to find out what the problem is before we worry about it. Besides, SeeDs aren't supposed to ask questions, remember?"  
"But, Squall," Rinoa replied. "I'm not a SeeD."  
Zell threw a few more punches at the air. "But the rest of us are."   
Rinoa sighed once more, and then took off for the door heading Selphie and Irvine's way, and then turned back to the rest of us, the doors slidding quickly apart. "But, you know. I just really hope everythings okay." With that, she walked in.  
"That Rinoa, she's always so......" Quistis searched for a word.  
"Hopeful." I finished Quistis's sentence.  
  
"Irvine, I love Trains," Selphie said, leaning against the railing against the window. "Me too," he replied. "But I love you more."  
Rinoa then walked to the couple. "Hey you two," she said, quietly.  
"Hey, Rinoa," Irvine said, turning to her. "Whats got you down? Worried about Timber?"  
"Yea, I guess so," she replied. "Squall doesn't seem very supportive, and I don't think Quistis thinks Zone and Watts can take care of themselves." Irvine shook his head in disgrace. "You know, Squall thinks a lot of you, Rinoa, its just that his mission in life is to not fall in love. He doesn't like to the let the course of nature set its path."  
Selphie nodded, in agreement. "Its true, Rinoa. He does think lots of you. He's always worried about you, even though he doesn't show it."  
"Yea, but I wish he would," Rinoa said, leaning against the railing, the same way as Selphie. "I really wish he would."   
  
Finally arriving in Timber, we all unloaded the train, and spilt into groups. Selphie, Irvine, Zell and I went to the Pub area to get a few items, while Squall, Rinoa and Quistis went to check in at a room in the hotel. Zell shrugged his shoulders, slumping over. "We came all the way to Timber to go shopping?!" he growled, looking angry as ever.  
"No," Selphie replied. "We just need to pick up a few items for Squall. Potions, High Potions, Pheonix Downs..ya know, the good stuff." She skipped along merrily.  
"Wait!" I exclaimed as we rounded a corner. Up ahead, and down a staircase, were some Galbadian Soilders. I got down, kneeling, and motioned for everyone else to do so.  
"Did you get it?" One of the soilders asked. "Yes, I did," replied the other one. "Good, now the iron clad can be fixed up. Now we can get those meddling kid from Garden."   
"The Iron Clad?!" I exclaimed. "It took me almost a week to beat it!!"  
Everyone looked at me confused. "I thought me, Zell, and Quistis beat it?" Selphie asked. Zell nodded. "Yea, thats what happened, Yo."  
I looked dumbfounded, and searched for something to say. Should I let them know I was from the real world?  
No way! I thought. This is the chance of a lifetime!! Why pass it up?! I sighed, and shook my head, finally replying my new found comrades. "Don't worry about me. I was just thinking about something else."  
The all looked suspicious, but nodded silently. "Should we attack 'em?!" Zell asked. I could hear the impatience in his voice. He was ready to rumble. I stood up, and slid my new gloves on my hands. "Yea! Lets Rumble!" I dashed out from our hiding, and thats when the soilders finally spotted us.   
"Look! Its those kids now!" The first one exclaimed. "Darn!" Yelled the other one. "Now we'll never get the Iron Clad fixed!"  
"Heh," I said. "That was my intention. Now, prepare for a butt whoopin'!" I hooted, dashing at one, giving him a punch in the face.  
Zell's eye's widened a bit, and he nodded, impressed. "Wow, she's good."   
The rest of our small group joined in the battle. Selphie spun with her nunchakus, smacking one right in the gut. He fell to the ground. "Ugh..Boss, I can't go on no more." He fell to the ground, and disapeared.  
Cool! I thought. Just like in the game!! Zell threw a few punches at the other one, and then he vanished as well. Then, the coolest of all cools happened. We did the victory dance.   
This was so cool! I was in the middle of my dream! I was estatic, so I began jumping around in wild circles. Zell watched me, his eyebrow quirked, but that ever so beautiful smirk graced his face.  
Selphie and Irvine fetched the items we needed, and we all headed for the Timber Hotel. Little did we know, the suprise that was waiting for us there.  
  
Arriving, I walked up to Gatey, the Gate that stops passers by from getting into the hotel area with rooms, while Zell checked out the train model on the other side of the room. Selphie and Irvine checked in, and Gatey opened. I ran inside first, and ran right into the room where Squall, Rinoa, Zone and Watts were.  
Watts looked concerned. Zone looked in pain. Perhaps, groaning about his stomachache again? Who knew. Squall looked up at me. "Where are the others?" He asked. He sounded serious again. I pointed behind me. Zell, Irvine and Selphie appeared. They all walked in, looking serious. Even Selphie, the ecenteric one, looked dead pan.   
"Sir, Its the sorceress, Sir," Watts remarked, slowly, but calm. Zell and I exchanged glances and then Zell looked to Squall. "What about her?" Zell swallowed in the middle of his sentence, making a loud 'gulp' sound, as if he were scared.  
"She's back. She's trying once again to take over the Galbadian Military." Squall shook his head, looking down. "For some reason, I just knew we had'nt beaten her."   
Zone stood back up, and looked at the lot of us. "Thats why we called you here, SeeD. Today, she is to be broadcasted once again over the airwaves from the television station here in Timber. Hopefully, you all can once again defeat her. Maybe this time, kill her."  
I exchanged yet another look at Zell. Kill Cid's wife? But didn't they know, about Edea's past with the rest of the SeeDs, except Rinoa.  
You see, a long time ago, when they were all children, they were orphans, and they all lived in one orphanage. Not much had changed about them. Selphie was still energetic, and Irvine was still always following her. Squall was quiet, and Quistis was bossy. Zell, was his same soft hearted self. But it was their keeper that would make it hard for them to fight this battle. You see, Edea, was Matron, the woman who was mother to them all.  
Irvine shook his head. "We can't, we just can't," he replied. "Thats our Matron. Thats the one who took care of us as children."  
"Sir, I know, sir," Watts said. "But, Sir, we can't let her take over the world, sir," Watts had a point. What if the sorceress did get her way? All would be chaos.   
I took a step foward, and decided to question Squall. "Squall, what about surpressing the sorceresses powers, like Rinoa wanted to before?" Quistis looked at me, concerned. "How did you know that Rinoa wanted to surpress the sorceresses powers?"  
Uh Oh. Busted again. I shook my head violently and then tried to reply, but my words sputtered out.   
"I--don't--know?!"   
Squall shook his head. "This is stupid. How's this going to work?" Rinoa reached in her pocket and pulled out a small clear oval crystal. "This is the surpressor that I wanted to use before," she said. "Perhaps it really does work. Like Zell said, its Odine brand, and they're the best when I comes to magic."  
Quistis bursted out in laughter. "And like I said before, Rinoa, how do you expect to get the Sorceress to put it on?! 'Oh please, Mrs. Sorceress Lady, put on this crystal so we can surpress your powers.' Ha! You'll be lucky if you can even sputter out the first two words before she tosses a few balls of fire at you!"  
"Shh!" I warred Quistis. "It might work. Here's our plan of attack. The sorceress is distracted by a party of 3, who attack at will, with their strongest magic. Two others wait behind her, and the last one puts the surpresser on her while she's not suspecting it, supressing her powers, and otherwise turning her into an enemy as weak as a pulp of slime. Then, we channel all her powers into a sorceresses stone, and they're locked in there forever."  
Squall nodded, and stood, pulling out his gunblade. He loaded a few bullets in it, and spoke softly. "I like her idea. We'll try it. But if anything happens to go wrong, I say we all attack, head on, Do or die."  
We all exited the Hotel, first Selphie and Irvine, then Rinoa and Squall, then Quistis, and finally, me and Zell.  
"Yo," Zell said, sounding kind of depressed. "I'm sorry, that I got you into this." I turned to him, looking at him. He looked so sorrowful. I almost wanted to hug him, but restrained myself. "Its okay, Zell. This is my dream come true. "  
"I know, but you might--" "Shhh. Quiet, you. I'm not going to die. I can promise you that, okay. You won't, either."  
As I turned to go, Zell grabbed my arm. I turned back to him, slowly. His eyes were cold, staring hard at me. I almost wanted to crack, and start crying. I could accually hear the Final Fantasy 8 theme playing in the back of my head. I kind of wanted to hum it, but that would ruin the moment. Its such a pretty song, though.  
"You promise?" He asked, looking hopeful, reminding me of a small child, wanting a toy. I leaned in, and kissed his cheek, and whispered in his ear. "I promise."  
Then he let go of me, and then, turning away from his passionate side, once again, was serious. "Good, because you're my responsibility."  
I smiled at that, and grabbed his hand, pulling him out of the room. We walked outside the hotel, and met up with Squall and the others.  
  
We were in front of the TV station, when I remembered about the Iron Clad. "Squall!" I exclaimed, running over to him. "I forgot to tell you, the Iron Clad, its--"  
Just then, the huge TV screen lit up, with a picture of Edea up on it. She looked the same as she did before Squall and the others had fought her. But, what she had in beauty was what she lacked in stylish clothing. We all watched the screen, as she began to speak."  
  
You. You all. You shall all bow down to me. Once again I have come in reign over you all. You shall now feel the darkness come over your world as I seize it, and once again shall it all turn to evil.  
  
I swear the sky shaded two colors darker. "Zell!" I yelled, running over to him. "Go with me, please!! I want to put the surpressor on the witch! Please, Zell, go with me! I don't want to go without you!" Zell looked down at me, and nodded. The others looked very concerned. "Are you sure you want to do that?" Squall asked me.  
I nodded. "I feel its my destiny to destroy the sorceress. I just only hope it works."  
"Fine." Squall said. "Quistis, Irvine, and I will go attack the sorceress head on. Selphie will go with you two. I made Rinoa stay at the hotel."   
We all nodded, and dispatched. Zell, Selphie and I took off up the stairs, and headed around to the back of the TV station. We found a great place to hide, behind a dumpster, and bent down there. Zell pulled the surpressor from his pocket, and handed it me. "Its in your hands now," he said.  
I nodded, and looked over to Selphie, to watch out and see if the others had made it in.  
  
"Quick!" Quistis exclaimed, running across the catwalk over Timber, to the TV station. "Zell and the others are already there!" Irvine sped up, and Squall came not too long after. "Its my time to boogie," Irvine said, standing, and readying his rifle. "I want to be first in."   
"But, Irvine," Quistis said, "You can't. Let Squall go in."  
"No," Irvine said, with authority. "I want to go in first. Which means I am going. Parden me, Miss Trepe."  
Quistis rolled her eyes. "You're only going to get hurt." She held her whip in her left hand, still kneeling down, with Squall behind her, listening to the two silently.  
"I don't care," Irvine answered. "I want to help the others get through as soon as possible."  
He ran in. There were a few shots, and then a scream was heard. It fell silent. Squall shook his head. You couldn't really tell her was grieving, but he knew Irvine was dead. "He's so stupid," Squall muttered. "He knew he was going to be killed."  
With that, Squall stood, and ran in too. Quistis, wasting no time, followed afterward. It was chaos inside. Irvine, was laying bloody and wounded on the floor, Selphie at his side, in tears. The mission was incomplete. They'd failed. Big time.   
I was on the floor, lain out. I was hurt. In very much pain. But little did everyone know that I'd gotten the stone on the sorceress. Zell was beside me, looking at me. I looked up at him. I swear he looked like an angel at that moment. "Zell.....I....I..did it." I muttered.   
Zell looked over at Edea. She was on her knees, holding her neck. She was gasping for air, and reaching around with those 10 inch long nails, trying, perhaps, to reach for her powers which were slipping. Squall pulled out the sorceress stone, and absorbed her powers. The sorceress lay powerless on the floor.   
  
It had been a day now, since we defeated the sorceress. As a reward, Timber gave us all 1000 Gil, and a night stay at the Timber Hotel, and a nice dinner, compliments of the new president of Deling. I sat in my room that night, still a bit in pain. I heard a knock at the door, and called to it. "Come in," I said. The door slowly opened, revealing Zell.  
"Zell," I said, sitting upright on the bed. He walked over, and sat down on the bed, beside me. "That was really brave what you did," he said. "But, why? Why did you do it?"  
"I told you," I responded. "I did it becasue I felt it was my destiny."  
He looked back at me, his baby blue eyes seeming lost in a world of wonder. "Wasn't there any other reason?" My eyes widened a bit. No other time had I seen something so beautiful. "Of course there was another reason. I did it because I love you." He the reached on his hand and pulled off the Lion ring which he'd taken from Squall a long time ago and slid it on my finger.   
  
Then I woke up in my hotel room, very drowsy. Had that all been a dream? I sure hoped not. I rubbed my eyes, and felted something cold. Something metal. I looked at my hand, and saw Griever, the lion that Squall had named on his ring..The ring Zell gave me. 


End file.
